Review: Dram Cask No 3 Whisky Pairing

The Dram Cask No. 3 is one release a 4 cigar lineup from C & C Cigars specifically designed for pairing with whisky. Each Cask No relates to a profile of whisky they are intended to be paired with. The Cask No. 3 is aimed at spicy / smoky whiskies.

Available in 4 vitolas, a Robusto (5x50), Toro (6x52), Gigantor (Double Gordo, 6x60) and a Churchill (7x50). They are available in 20 count boxes.

Vitola: Toro

Size: 6” x 52 Ring Gauge

Wrapper: Habano

Binder: Not disclosed

Filler: Not disclosed

Cigars Smoked for this Review: One

Price Point: $9.50 Estimated

Cigar Purchased: Manufacturer’s Samples

Quick Note: For this review I used Logan’s rating system. You can view it in detailhere.

“ Overall I enjoyed the scotch pairing with the DRAM Cask No. 3 and will be looking for a 5 pack on my next shopping spree.”

Surgeon’s Rating: 88 AKA “5 Pack”

The nose on the DRAM Cask No. 3 is a rich, sweet tobacco with some underlying cocoa, cedar, and faint pepper.

I paired with the Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 37 scotch which was featured on Sharing Our Pairings Episode 29. The nose on the A’Bunadh is bright red fruits, cherry, honey, vanilla, faint tobacco, pepper and cinnamon. All of the tasty notes I’ve come to know well as it is one of my favorite bottles.

As I start smoking the DRAM Cask No. 3 I get slight leather, faint pepper and some light sweetness. I was expecting more bold favors out of the gate.

The A’Bunadh scotch is dominated by spice and a long finish. I end up adding some filtered water to start out, as it’s at 59.6% ABV and I didn’t want to overwhelm my taste buds. There is some citrus notes that start to break through and the strong spices of the whisky is offset by a nice thick creamy mouthfeel of the cigar.

As the DRAM Cask No. 3 establishes the spiciness picks up and between the whisky and the cigar starts to linger for a significant amount of time between draws.

Eventually there is a butterscotch sweetness that comes from the whisky and helps to calm the spice down a little bit. I’m actually finding the whisky and cigar pairing in the first third to almost be too much. I am picking up some creaminess on the retrohale. There is some woody flavors that I’m getting at about the halfway mark.

As the first third winds down the spice intensity from the cigar starts to decrease in strength.

The woody flavors pick up strength in the second third and some citrus. I poured a fresh dram of the A’Bunadh and did not add any water. I’m picking up tons of spicy cherry from the scotch. The spice from the cigar has decreased in strength so much that it’s quite light. The creaminess has built up in strength and I feel like the pairing is complimenting really well through the second third.

In the last third the DRAM Cask No. 3 is primarily woody and some barbeque like smoky flavors. There is a hint of peat buried in the smoke and any spice is only coming from the whisky. Again like the second third the pairing seems to compliment really well here.

Overall I enjoyed the scotch pairing with the DRAM Cask No. 3 and will be looking for a 5 pack on my next shopping spree.

Pairing Recommendation:

It is very easy to enjoy scotch with the DRAM Cask No. 3. Bourbon would be a great choice, or even a bourbon based cocktail like an Old Fashioned would be outstanding.